Sports
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
Jun 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos watches from the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images The New York Mets placed infielder Mark Vientos on the 10-day injured list on Friday because of a fractured right hand, which will not require surgery but keep him sidelined six to eight weeks.
In a corresponding move, the Mets selected the contract of shortstop Zack Short from Triple-A Syracuse. They also recalled right-hander Tobias Myers from Syracuse and designated righty Dan Hammer for assignment.
Vientos was struck on the right hand by a 92.2 mph sinker from the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha in the second inning of the Mets’ 7-3 home win on Thursday. Vientos, 26, ran for himself but did not take his place at third base in the third inning.
“It definitely sucks because I want to be with the team and play with the guys,” he said. “I’ve been hit in the hand before. I started to realize this (injury) was different when I was on first base and the hand started to feel a little numb. It was a painful feeling. … The hand was swollen and there was no way I could grip the ball.”
This season, Vientos is hitting just .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 73 games while seeing his playing time dwindling. He has played 60 games at first base, eight as designated hitter and three at third base.
In his fifth season with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft, Vientos is a .234 career hitter with 65 home runs and 192 RBIs in 386 games. His best season came in 2024, when he hit .266 with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs in 111 games.
Short, 31, was 1-for-8 (.125) in three games earlier this season for the Mets after going 6-for-36 (.167) in 23 games with the Detroit Tigers.
He was 3-for-21 (.143) in seven games at Syracuse.
Short also appeared in 10 games with New York in 2024 and was 1-for-9 (.111). He has played for five different MLB teams since 2021.
Myers, 27, is 0-2 with one save, a 6.14 ERA, 13 walks and 33 strikeouts in 44 innings over 25 games (three starts) in his first season with the Mets.
He is a career 10-10 with one save, 64 walks and 198 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings over 74 games (34 starts) with Milwaukee Brewers (2024-25) and New York.
Myers was optioned to Syracuse on Thursday when career minor leaguer Hammer, 28, was selected to the major league roster to bolster the bullpen. Hammer did not play on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: FIFA could make $11 million from pieces of World Cup final turf
People carry “FIFA” letters on to the field before a 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. The field that will be used for the World Cup final later this month is about to fetch some serious green.
According to The Athletic, FIFA will sell four different tiers of souvenir turf that will be harvested after the world’s most-watched sporting event concludes July 19 at East Rutherford, N.J.
The sale, which is only available for customers in the United States and Europe, is expected to generate over $11 million.
In addition to the high-priced tickets and memorabilia for the tournament, it will cost $3,000 for the highest priced tier of souvenir turf. The 3-inch by 3-inch portion of grass will include a gold-etched replica ticket, a replica mini World Cup ball and a crystal-cut World Cup trophy.
The three other tiers of souvenir turf will sell for $450, $900 and $1,200.
There will be no more than 2,026 pieces available in any one tier.
The report indicated that the turf which will be used for the World Cup final was grown at a turf farm in North Carolina.
For consistency, new turf fields were installed at all World Cup venues, including those that typically have artificial surfaces like the stadiums in Seattle, Atlanta, East Rutherford, Vancouver, Canada, Arlington, Texas, and Inglewood, Calif.
There is no indication of what will happen to the turf fields that are not being used for the final.
The 2026 World Cup consisted of a record 48 teams that will end up playing 104 matches in three countries. A total of 16 venues are being used for the tournament.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson back in form for Aces as Mercury come to town
Jun 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) defends against Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images A’ja Wilson wasn’t the least bit hindered in her return from a three-game injury absence Thursday night.
Wilson takes aim at another strong outing on Saturday when the Las Vegas Aces host the Phoenix Mercury.
The four-time league MVP missed three games with an injured right ankle and wasted no time returning to her usual standard. She ended up with a game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds to help Las Vegas notch an 88-80 road victory over the Portland Fire.
“Early on, I was just testing my ankle to see if it was ready to rock and roll,” Wilson told reporters. “I felt like I was ready a couple of games ago, but the medical staff said something different.
“I just knew that I had to be aggressive and take what the defense was giving me.”
Wilson made 10 of 19 field-goal attempts – splitting two 3-point tries – and hit 11 of 13 free throws while playing 30 minutes.
Jackie Young added 19 points, 11 assists and three steals as Las Vegas (16-6) moved into a tie with the Minnesota Lynx for the best record in the WNBA.
That victory also gave Becky Hammon one of the coaching spots for the All-Star Game July 25 in Chicago. The coaches of the teams with the two best records as of Friday receive that honor. Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve will be the other coach.
Phoenix (8-15) and Las Vegas split two meetings earlier this season. The Mercury notched their most impressive win of the season in their 2026 opener when they blew out the host Aces 99-66 on May 9 in Sin City.
On Tuesday, Phoenix veteran DeWanna Bonner became the third player in WNBA history to exceed 8,000 career points. Bonner (8,014) trails Tina Charles (8,396) and Mercury legend Diana Taurasi (10,646), the latter a former teammate.
Bonner, who turns 39 next month, averages 9.0 points per game this season in her 17th WNBA campaign.
“The older you get, just understanding what to put in your body and what fuels you,” Bonner told the team website. “What it takes to warm up, and how you treat your body after a game is huge. It’s important. You take a beating out there, so you have to love on your body a little bit more. Especially the older you get.”
Bonner had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds in Thursday’s 92-89 home loss to the Indiana Fever. Alyssa Thomas led the way with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Phoenix has lost consecutive games after winning its previous three.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cameron Percy conquers wet, windy Firestone to seize Kaulig lead
Cameron Percy hits out of a sand trap during round 2 of the Kaulig Companies PGA Championship, July 10, 2026, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Australia’s Cameron Percy fired a 4-under-par 66 on Friday during the second round of the Kaulig Companies Championship to claim a one-shot lead through 36 holes at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Percy’s bogey-free trip around the wet and windy South Course pushed him to 7 under as he hunts his first PGA Tour Champions title. First-round leader Jerry Kelly and Zach Johnson are one shot behind while Boo Weekley sits two back.
Percy, 52, and his caddie have done the math to decide what it should take for Percy to make the tour’s fourth major of the year his first win.
“We worked out most of the time if you get to 12 under, you’ll win,” Percy said. “So I didn’t care about my score, I’m just trying to get to 12 under. That’s 3 under a day and I’m one shot ahead of that.
“Really, you know, I’m still 5 behind what I’m trying to do. I need 5 more under from here on in and if someone beats me, well, that’s just too good.”
Kelly, who won majors in 2020 and 2022 at Firestone, already has figured out what it takes. If not for a bogey on No. 18, he’d hold a share of the lead with Percy. Instead, he finished with a 69 for the day to join Percy and Johnson as the only golfers who are at least halfway to 12 under.
Johnson pieced together five birdies and two bogeys for the second straight day to net another 67.
“The days were very similar, yesterday and today,” Johnson said. “Obviously the scorecard was very similar. Created a lot of opportunities. I missed some short putts yesterday. You can argue I missed a couple short putts today, too. But I made a couple, so I’m driving it great, I seemed to give myself a lot of good opportunities.
“Seems like the harder the hole — the more difficulty — I seem to execute even better. That was encouraging.”
Weekley, who has shed the sinus infection that forced him to withdraw from last week’s U.S. Senior Open after the opening round, posted a bogey-free 67 to move to 5 under. He climbed five spots into solo fourth going into the weekend.
“Today I didn’t have a square (a bogey),” Weekley said. “I got lucky, though. I missed a couple greens on the par-3s and I actually drew good lies. You know, when you draw the good lie, you feel good about it, you feel like you can get it up and down, and I got it close every time and just tapped it in.”
Tag Ridings, the only golfer in the 76-man field to match Percy’s second-round 66, joins South Africa’s Retief Goosen (67), Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke (70) and Ryan Armour (68) at 4 under.
Stewart Cink, who won this year’s first two majors, posted a 68 Friday to round out the top 10 with Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen (70) at 3 under.
–Field Level Media
Report: FIFA could make $11 million from pieces of World Cup final turf
A'ja Wilson back in form for Aces as Mercury come to town
